AEF responds to EU consultation on slot allocation

10th November, 2010

The AEF has responded to the EU consultation on slot allocation.  The consultation finished on 30th Oct 2010.

Slots are defined time periods of a couple of minutes on a specified runway when a particular airline’s plane is scheduled to take off or land. 

Slot allocation is important issue because the way that slots are allocated can affect environmental impacts. If slots are effectively allocated and used, there is less need for more runways or new airports, with resulting environmental and social benefits. There are also benefits in economic efficiency, which AEF would support.

A key change is being suggested – auctioning of slots. AEF supports the concept of slot auctioniong because it would in increase the economic and environmental efficiency of airport and air travel. It would also enable society to be compensated for some of the ‘external costs’ of air travel, such as noise, air pollution and climate change.  It would also help governments to raise revenue and start to remove the aviation’s huge tax advantages.

The consultation may be found on the EU web site. See Word document (5 pages) for AEF response.